Royal Holiday Bride. Brenda Harlen

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СКАЧАТЬ a dream, after all, she realized, smiling as she turned on the shower and stripped away the silk boxers and cami that she slept in. Memories of the previous night played through her mind as she stepped beneath the spray.

      A fantasy come true, but definitely not a dream.

      As she’d donned her costume in preparation of the ball the previous evening, she’d worried that she might regret embarking on her course of action, but she’d been more worried about what her future might hold if she chose a course of inaction.

      She’d taken control of her life and her future—as much as she could, anyway. Because according to the outdated but still valid laws of the principality, Marissa could be forced to marry the duke, but at least she wouldn’t go to his bed a virgin on her wedding night.

      She’d evaluated her options and she’d made a choice, and she didn’t regret it now. How could she regret what had been the most incredible experience of her entire life?

      If she felt any disappointment, it was only because she might never again know the kind of pleasure Jupiter had given to her. He’d been an incredibly attentive lover. He’d not just touched but tantalized every inch of her body with his hands and his lips and his tongue—

      She turned her face into the spray and nudged the temperature dial downward to help cool her heated skin and resolved to stop fantasizing about what was past.

      After she’d stepped out of the shower and toweled off, she opened her closet in search of an appropriate outfit for brunch with her mother. In the midst of various shades of ivory and cream and beige, the stunningly vibrant dress she’d worn the night before shone like a beacon. Instinctively her hand reached out, her fingers caressing the shimmery fabric, and she made a mental note to send a heartfelt thank-you card to her dressmaker.

      Then she purposely moved Juno’s dress to the back of the closet because she was no longer a Roman goddess. She was just an ordinary princess again and she had to look the part for her meeting with the Princess Royal.

      She selected a simple beige-and-white sheath-style dress, slipped her feet into a pair of matching kitten heels, then brushed her hair away from her face and secured it in a knot at the back of her head. She added simple gold hoop earrings and a couple of gold bangles on her wrist and decided the overall look was stylish if rather bland—and perfectly suited to Princess Marissa.

      You’re even more beautiful than I anticipated.

      The echo of Jupiter’s reverent whisper made her heart sigh. He’d made her feel beautiful. Desirable. Desired. But there was no hint of that woman in the reflection that looked back at her now.

      She turned away from the mirror, refusing to admit that she longed to feel that way again. She knew that she could be beautiful. Elena had been—and still was—a stunning woman, and many people had remarked upon the similarities between mother and daughter. But while the Princess Royal always took care to highlight her best features, Marissa chose to downplay her own. Beautiful women did not go unnoticed, and she preferred the freedom to live her life as she chose rather than under a microscope.

      Of course, she was a princess, so a certain amount of media attention was unavoidable. She even courted that attention when it served her purposes. But most of the time, she was happy to let the paparazzi chase after those who were much more bold and beautiful.

      A knock at the door jolted her out of her reverie. She set down the cup of coffee she’d just poured and went to answer the summons.

      There were few people who could gain access to the private elevator leading to her tenth-floor condo, so she wasn’t surprised to open the door and find both of her sisters-in-law on the other side. She was disappointed that they didn’t have her nieces with them, as she absolutely doted on Michael’s five-year-old Riley and Cameron’s eleven-month-old Jaedyn.

      “What are you doing here?” she asked, because she knew they didn’t have any plans to get together this morning.

      Michael’s wife, Hannah, was the first to respond. “We were worried about you.”

      Marissa led the way to the kitchen, where she filled another mug with coffee and a third with only milk. “Why would you be worried?”

      “Because you had a migraine severe enough to keep you at home last night. It’s not like you to miss an event benefiting the Children’s Hospital,” Gabriella—Cameron’s very expectant wife—explained, accepting the milk with more resignation than enthusiasm.

      She’d forgotten the excuse she’d made to both of them to explain her supposed absence from the event the night before. Though she didn’t lie easily or well, the fib had been necessary to ensure that they weren’t looking for her in the crowd.

      Hannah stirred a spoonful of sugar into her coffee. “I called last night to see if you needed anything, but when there was no answer, I figured you turned off the ringer because of the headache.”

      Gabby’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “But when Hannah told me that she’d called and didn’t get an answer, I began to suspect that maybe you didn’t miss the ball at all.”

      She sipped her coffee. “You’re right. I was there,” Marissa admitted. “But I left early.”

      “With the sexy guy in the purple toga?”

      Marissa didn’t bother to deny it. She’d already proven that she couldn’t lie to them—at least not very well—and she didn’t want to, anyway. They weren’t just her sisters-in-law, they were her best friends, and she desperately needed friends to confide in right now.

      “With Jupiter,” she confirmed.

      Gabby grinned. “Good for you.”

      Hannah’s head swiveled toward her. “Are you kidding? It’s not good—it’s crazy.”

      “Was it good?” Gabby asked, not the least bit chastened by Hannah’s outrage.

      Marissa couldn’t help but smile. “It was … fabulous.”

      “Details,” Gabby immediately demanded.

      Hannah only sighed.

      “I’m sorry if you’re disappointed in me,” Marissa said to Michael’s wife, and meant it.

      “I’m not disappointed in you, just surprised,” Hannah told her. “I’ve never known you to be reckless or impulsive, and leaving the ball with a stranger—”

      “Was necessary,” she interjected.

      Even Gabriella seemed surprised by that revelation. “Why?”

      Marissa lifted her chin. “Because I’d decided it was finally time to lose my virginity.”

      Her brothers’ wives exchanged another look. Obviously neither of them had been aware of her lack of sexual experience, and why would they be?

      “Okay, back up a minute and put this in context for us,” Hannah suggested. “Why, having made it to this point in your life without losing your virginity, was it suddenly so urgent to do so?”

      “Because there are rumors floating around that the Duke of Bellemoro is in the market for his second wife СКАЧАТЬ